Don't ask. Yes, I know. You have questions and you want answers. Happily, Lost's two-part return provides them, along with more jolts, twists, wit and sheer entertainment value than almost any other show on television.

Viewers left wondering where that confounding island went at the end of May's season finale will get immediate answers when the ABC adventure-mystery hurtles into its much-awaited fifth season Wednesday (9 p.m. ET/PT).

The end is nearing, and for the cast of ABC's Lost, that means planning for life off the island. Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) and Evangeline Lilly (Kate) ended their real-life three-year relationship when his character drowned in last season's finale. Some of the cast have put their Oahu homes on the market. And all are wondering if their characters will make it to the show's spring 2010 series finale.

Will eight be enough?Viewers will have to decide whether Lost is half-empty or half-full when the ABC adventure-drama returns for its fourth season Thursday (9 ET/PT). Because of the Hollywood writers' strike, only eight of 16 planned episodes have been produced.

They may have been having lunch and drinks at the Ritz-Carlton here last month, but the minds of the castaway castmates of Lost were on the island. "I haven't (worked with) Matt all year," Naveen Andrews (Sayid) says about star Matthew Fox (Jack). "I haven't, either," says Emilie de Ravin (Claire).

They may have been having lunch and drinks at the Ritz-Carlton here last month, but the minds of the castaway castmates of Lost were on the island. "I haven't (worked with) Matt all year," Naveen Andrews (Sayid) says about star Matthew Fox (Jack). "I haven't, either," says Emilie de Ravin (Claire).

Now we know how the castaways feel. After stranding viewers for three months, Lost returns Wednesday, looking to bring back its audience and momentum with 16 consecutive episodes in a new time slot (ABC, 10 p.m. ET/PT).

The second season of Lost saw the deaths and disappearances of many characters. But Tuesday was a night for the survivors as cast members turned out for a launch party for the Season 2 DVD on a tiki-torch-lit beach at the North Shore's Turtle Bay Resort.

We'll move more quickly through the supporting characters. I'll be bereft if voters ignore Itzin and Knight. As for the other spots, however, no category offers more great choices, and I wouldn't be sorry to see the list include Terry O'Quinn (Lost), Victor Garber (Alias), Erik Palladino (Over There), Josh Holloway (Lost), Lenny Clarke (Rescue Me), Steven Pasquale (Rescue Me), Omar Epps (House) or Justin Chambers (Grey's Anatomy).